


Happy Birth, Keith

by winged_wishes_take_flight



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Fluff, Lance Baking, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), keith's birthday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-02-08 04:33:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12856833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winged_wishes_take_flight/pseuds/winged_wishes_take_flight
Summary: Lance wants to make Keith's birthday really special and begs Hunk to let him help surprise him with a cake, but it doesn't work out as he planned.  However, he ends up giving Keith a better surprise than he ever coud've hoped for.





	Happy Birth, Keith

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is the first work I've posted on here. I wrote this on Keith's birthday, but I didn't get to post it yet for a lot of various reasons I won't bore you with. XD I got a fanastic idea of Lance trying (and failing) to decorate a cake for Keith with Hunk. I hope you enjoy it and don't die of fluff overload!

Hand shaking, Lance gently squeezed the makeshift piping bag as he attempted to write out the letters. So far, so good. Currently, “ _Happy_ ” was spelled out in red icing on the white frosting that Hunk had carefully spread. Lance had desperately wanted to help decorate Keith's birthday cake, but Hunk had been a little hesitant, (and with good reason). He peered tensely over the edge of the table at Lance's detailed, slightly sloppy work.

“QUIZNAK!” he shouted suddenly. Hunk jumped.

“WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED??? TELL ME IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A WINTER MURDER SCENE! OH, I CAN'T BARE TO LOOK! WHAT DID YOU LANCE – TELL ME!!!”

“Relax, Hunk. I just got my hand in one of your frosting blobs,” Lance said, licking the red from the side of his hand. Hunk glared as Lance went back to his work. He hummed as he piped, just barely moving his hips to the song. Evidently delighted with his work so far, a wide grin spread over his lips.

“Keith's gonna love this,” he said happily. Hunk grinned.

“Ooh, KeiTh'S gOnNa LoVE tHis,” he mocked, batting his eyelashes.

“Shut up! You know what I think of Keith. He's an obnoxious, angsty jerk – however, he is my rival and fellow paladin,” Lance huffed defensively, not sure why he was so in denial over it.

“Right. You do realize that you told me, right? But sure... it's totally normal to want to make your _rival_ a cake...” Hunk mumbled.

“Obviously. How is that not normal? I could care less about his stupid mullet and his gorgeous eyes...” Lance rambled as Pidge silently walked into the room. He looked suddenly up as her bright green hoodie broke his concentration. She smirked smugly, high-fiving Hunk in triumph.

“Called it,” she said, not a single ounce of surprise in her voice.

“What?” Lance asked.

“Do you not hear yourself when you talk? Honestly, you two are the most clueless people I've met in my life! All you do is pine when you're not together, and all you do is argue when you are. Please just save that poor boy from his misery,” she sighed, skeptically glancing at Lance's decorations. Lance huffed and stuck his nose in the air. He set down the piping bag on the table and admired his work, far too pleased with himself.

“Done! Who needs a bakery when you can get ya boi Lance on the job?” he grinned.

Hunk and Pidge stared at it blankly, not sure what to say. They didn't want to stomp all over his happy mood, but there was something most definitely wrong with the cake. Let's just say that one of them would have to break the news that cake-decorating may not be in his future. Hunk slapped his palm against his forehead. Pidge bit her lip, trying to hold back a giggle. Lance looked at both of them after a moment of awkward silence. It had not been the reaction he'd been looking for.

He looked slowly down at the cake. His complexion drained to a shade that Hunk did not think possible for his tan face to reach. He looked slowly back at his two friends. Then back to the cake. It was as if the castle was crumbling down around him and his feet were plastered to the ground. He wanted to scream.

“HOW THE QUIZNAK DID I MANAGE THAT?!?!?!!” he screeched.

Staring in disbelief at the cake, Lance was assaulted by the offensive red lettering. It now read, in very shaky handwriting, “Happy Birth.” Even worse than the ironic message were the questionable red hearts surrounding it.

Pidge lost it. She bust out laughing, gripping onto Hunk's shoulder for support. Hunk couldn't breathe.

“Ha-happy birth,” she wheezed. “Such heart.”

“Shut up!!! I blame you guys! You were distracting me,” Lance said sulkily, glaring. “I want to re-do it.”

“NO!!! It's _way_ too perfect. Anyway, we don't have enough time,” Pidge said, a little out of breath. “I originally came in cuz Shiro sent me to see if you guys were done. He needs help wrapping a gift or something, and he needs to decorate the dining room.”

“WHAT?!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I can't give him this!” Lance screamed, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

“C'mon, it's not that bad. I actually think he'll appreciate it,” Pidge reassured him. “At least you tried. And it'll taste great anyway!”

“That's because Hunk made it. I can't do anything,” Lance mumbled quietly.

“Looks like someone's thoughts were occupied with a certain birthday boy,” Hunk grinned, not hearing Lance's last comment. “C'mon, let's go help Shiro.”

Lance looked down despairingly at his decorating failure one last time before following Hunk and Pidge, wishing that he had drawn anything other than little hearts in that stupid red icing that turned out to be more permanent than ink.

 

A depressing groan met them from Shiro's room. He was surrounded by a sea of crumpled paper and large leaves from the strange bushes outside.

“Uh... I got Lance,” Pidge announced their arrival, gently pushing Lance forward.

“Hey! What's going on?” Lance asked, looking back disgruntledly at Pidge.

“I – I've been trying for hours. I can't wrap to save my life,” Shiro sighed.

“Why would you need to be able to rap? I mean, if that's what you called me for, I guess that I can try...” Lance asked, confused.

“I need to wrap a gift! I made Keith a new sheath for for his blade, and the leaves from that bush outside make good enough wrapping paper for space,” Shiro explained.

“Ohhhh, I get it. Wow, you mean there's something the Great Shiro _can't_ do?” Lance laughed, walking over to where his friend sat in denial. “Whoa,” he said, peering into the box containing the leather sheath. “This is incredible! You mean to say that you can sew like _this_ but you can't wrap a gift?”

“I can't do everything, Lance,” he shrugged.

“Don't worry, I'm an expert at this,” Lance assured him, folding the giant leaf's corner over the edge of the box. _Finally. Something I can do,_ he thought. “I have a big family,” he smiled.

“Thank you. You're a lifesaver,” Shiro smiled, standing up. Lance beamed. “Hey, how'd the cake go?”

The short-lived smile fell from his face in an instant. Lance groaned. “Don't ask,” he said, finishing the parcel.  _Oh no,_ he thought.  _I have to find a gift for Keith somehow!_

“It can't be that bad,” Shiro said, frowning.

“Oh, it's that bad,” Pidge snickered. Shiro tried not to smile. “Pidge, Hunk, can you start decorating the dining room? I'll be there in a moment.”

“Sure!” Pidge agreed, pulling Hunk along behind her, who winked at Lance.

Shiro looked down at Lance. “Could you go check on Keith for me for a minute? Make sure he's still busy,” he said.

“Oh – uh... sure,” Lance mumbled. “What should I tell him?”

“I'm sure you'll think of something. He just needs a distraction, and I don't want him to spend his day entirely alone,” Shiro said, walking towards the door. “And Lance – you need to have a little more confidence in yourself. And don't worry,” he added. Lance's brow furrowed in confusion. _Don't worry?_ He watched as Shiro walked out the door. _What could he have meant by that?_ He sighed, trying to think of something that could distract Keith from leaving his assigned cell – his bedroom. He could feel the heat flooding to his face already. He had to tell him sooner or later. But it could wait for a while longer.

His thoughts were interrupted by an outburst of laughter from the dining room. Apparently Shiro had seen the cake.

 

Lance knocked softly on the door to Keith's room.  _What could he tell him?_ There was a moment of silence before the door slid open to reveal Keith, graphite covering his hand and smudged on his cheek.

“Oh – Lance,” Keith said, standing awkwardly. Lance wasn't sure that any of the paladins, except possibly Shiro, had been in his room. The only time Lance had ever seen it was when he had sought Keith out, confronting him about his worries of having six paladins. “Come in,” he said, gesturing into the room.

It was organized, but a little cluttered at the same time. There were detailed drawings covering the walls which he hadn't noticed before, and a sketchbook was laying open on his bed, a pencil resting in between the pages.

“Did you need something?” Keith asked, trying to lift the silence.

“Oh, uh, I wanted to tell you...” Lance took a deep breath. He ran his fingers through his hair. Maybe he should just say it. How bad could it be?

“Happy birthday!” Lance blurted out suddenly. “Shiro told me,” he explained quickly, noting Keith's surprise.

“Oh... thanks,” Keith muttered awkwardly, running his own fingers through his hair. _That was stupid,_ Lance thought. “Really, thank you,” he repeated, noticing Lance's silence. Lance wondered if he had been the first one to tell him that today.

“Can I ask you... is there something wrong?” Keith asked.

“What? No! No, what would make you think that?” Lance laughed nervously.

“First of all, usually you never shut up, and now I can't get you to speak. Second of all, the only time you've ever deliberately sought me out was when you were genuinely concerned about something,” Keith said.

“Hey! I -” Lance started, crossing his arms, but Keith interrupted him.

“I didn't actually mean that as an insult, I just...” Keith mimicked Lance's movement subconsciously. Neither of them could take the awkwardness of the current situation. “I wanted to make sure nothing was upsetting you.”

_The only thing upsetting me is how blind you are and how much I want to pull you closer to me by that stupid mullet and kiss those scowling lips,_ Lance thought, frustrated.

“No. I just wanted to say happy birthday,” he said again. “I didn't realize you drew so much,” he changed the subject, gesturing to the drawings surrounding them.

“Yeah, art was the only thing that was ever constant in my life,” Keith said quietly, stepping in front of the wall almost as if to block his view from something. “It was something I could always fall back on. I'm almost out of paper now.”

“You're really good,” Lance said, recognizing some of the sketches as planets they had been on or aliens they'd met.

“Thanks,” Keith looked down, evidently unsure how to take a compliment. Lance was infuriated by his adorable, soft expression. An idea sparked in Lance's mind. He should leave.

“You've got some graphite on your cheek,” Lance grinned. Keith automatically raised a hand to his face, pointing to his cheek.

“Here?”

“Higher.”

“Here?”

“Higher.”

Keith raised his hand again, but Lance pushed it away, leaning closer and reaching towards Keith's face, gently rubbing at the smudge on his cheek.

He wanted to pull his hand back. That was a bad plan – his hand was cradling Keith's face, and it would only take one small motion to pull him closer.

“Something has been bothering me,” he said quietly, hand still holding Keith's face. He had made his decision, and there was no backing out now. “But I'm not sure that you'll like it.”

“Try me,” Keith whispered. That was it. Lance. Couldn't. Take. It. Any. Longer.

He pulled Keith towards him, kissing him gently, one hand still holding his face, the other running through his hair, spreading through the soft, dark mullet he had longed to feel for too long. Keith's lips were chapped, but soft against his own. He pulled away after just a moment longer, hating to end the moment but afraid to go any further.  
Neither spoke for a moment, and Lance's heart was pounding so hard in his throat that he couldn't even swallow. He couldn't relax his tense body until he saw Keith smile.

“The smudge is still there,” Lance dared to joke, a laugh tugging at his lips.

“I don't care,” Keith grinned, pressing his lips against Lance's. A warm hand pulled his body in, and another tugged the loop of his jeans, yanking his hips closer to Keith's. Lance reveled in the moment, letting Keith take the lead this time, drinking in every detail. The taste of his lips, the warmth of his body, the desperate undertone in his movements. Keith kissed Lance just like he did everything else: dangerously and without thinking. And Lance loved it. Pidge was right; there was no one quite as clueless as them. Shiro was right; he didn't have to worry – not about rejection anyway. The only thing he had to worry about in this moment with his lips against Keith's and his tight heart pounding furiously against his chest was that, after all he'd survived so far, Keith might be the death of him. But that wasn't such a bad way to die.

 

A couple hours after Lance had come knocking on Keith's door to distract him, (which he felt he did a very good job of), he had rushed back to his room to try and put together his idea. It had taken a lot of time, a lot of careful planning, and a lot of paper, but he finally had a product he was pleased with. He hastily wrapped his gift and tucked it safely under his arm. It was finally time.

Hours later, Lance once again found himself outside of Keith's door. But this time he knew exactly what he was doing. He knocked, more confidently now. He licked his slightly swollen lips as he waited. The door slid open and Keith beamed behind it, rubbing a hand through his tousled hair.

“Lance,” he greeted him. He looked happier than he had for a long time.

“I have something for you,” Lance said, stepping inside and thrusting the small parcel in his direction.

“You didn't have to-” Keith started, taking it. He glanced at Lance, then back to the parcel and gently unwrapped it. He stared at it for a moment, unsure of what to say. The purple cover had a delicate engraving of two constellations on it: Cancer and Scorpio. He opened it carefully, flipping through the blank, mismatched white pages. Lance had used the paper from a couple various notebooks of his own, and Pidge had been happy to donate some of hers as well. The stitching that held it together was a little uneven, as he didn't have any experience binding books, but it was held together well enough.

“You said you were almost out of paper,” Lance mumbled, looking down.

“It's beautiful – thank you Lance,” Keith said, reaching up to gently kiss his cheek. Heat flooded to Lance's face and he looked determinedly at the wall ahead of him.

“Hey,” he said, grinning, taking note of the drawings that Keith had carefully covered before. “Did you draw me?”

“Shut up,” Keith said with fake annoyance, reaching up to kiss him on the lips this time. He acted like it was just to shut his new boyfriend up, but neither of them could keep their hands off each other. Lance smirked flirtatiously.

“C'mon, we have a surprise for you.” Lance gently slipped his hand through Keith's, leading him out of the room, finally okay with the permanent red hearts on the cake.

 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!” the whole crew shouted as Lance pulled Keith into the dining room by his hand. Keith stood in shock, completely speechless. A banner was hanging (slightly unevenly) from the wall behind the table. Confetti and small parcels covered the table and a cake sat in the middle of it all. Lance squeezed Keith's hand, hoping he was okay with their surprise.

“Hunk and Lance made a cake for you!” Pidge said excitedly, evidently unable to control herself from eating it any longer.

Keith blinked, unsure how to react or what to say. He had never really celebrated his birthday, because he had no one to celebrate it with. He blinked back stinging tears, determined not to cry. He felt uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on him – being the center of attention was not a familiar feeling. He looked at all of them, one by one, then took a deep breath and turned to face Lance. He felt comfortable when he focused on nothing but those deep blue eyes. He smiled. “Thank you, everyone.”

Shiro smiled at Lance, who was pressed up against Keith's shoulder, still holding tight to his hand. He gave a small nod of appreciation as he slipped his own hand into Allura's, who was excitedly laughing as she sprinkled confetti on Pidge, who was not-so-subtly assuring her that cake was by far the best part about Earth celebrations.

As they all sat around the table, Keith began to feel more comfortable with the situation, now that they weren't staring only at him. Lance still hadn't let go of his hand, and was now subconsciously playing with his fingers. Hunk and Pidge grinned at both of them, noticing the change in dynamics, and high-fived as if they had been the ones to finally bring these two idiots together. Keith looked at the cake sitting on the table that Pidge was shoving towards him and suddenly burst out laughing.

Lance smiled. He hadn't seen Keith laugh this hard in a while.

“Happy Birth?!!” he gasped. “Much celebrate.” His cheeks were flushed pink, perhaps from laughing, or perhaps he had noticed the little red hearts. Lance laughed too this time. Everything was okay. Keith turned to look at him for just a moment, smiling.

“Happy birth, Keith,” he said lovingly.

“Thank,” Keith beamed back.

 


End file.
